Thursday, May 28, 2009

Come on, Andrew, this is weak. In a piece in last Sunday's Observer entitled 'How intolerable life would be without books and bookshops', Andrew Marr wrote: 'The internet (and this recession) is destroying fine old local papers. Higher booze prices and the smoking ban are destroying pubs. Similarly, we all know how hard the world of Amazon and Google has hit the small bookshop. Life without papers and pubs is an intolerable prospect. Would there be any point in leaving home at all if bookshops went too?'

This is weak because it does not go far enough. What we want is a piece from Marr saying how bookshops are to be protected. There's no point in 300 middle class words on the smell of books and aren't they wonderful mmmm dusty bookshops I love them blah blah blah. We all know that and we all agree. What would be far more interesting would be to read Marr's ideas on what should be done. But of course, that is much, much harder and throws up all sorts of interesting questions concerning the free market and intevention.

But why didn't he have a shot? Why no speculation on lower rents for bookshops because they are educational? Why no discussion of the NBA? Why no discussion on what the situation is like in other European countries? Why no discussion of the Robinson Patman Act?

He might argue that he isn't qualified and that he'll leave that to the experts. But is he necessarily any more qualified to present a TV series on Charles Darwin? This might sound like I am launching an attack on Marr. I'm not. I agree with what he said - I just think it's easy to state the problem without any attempt at suggesting how it might be addressed. And I'm afraid pieces like his do sneak rather closely to bufferdom territory.

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Beyond Hall 8 is a platform for discussion about book publishing from an international perspective and for an international audience. On this blog, you will find comprehensive coverage of groundbreaking news from English-speaking book markets, critical analysis of developing trends, and the witty opinions of our erudite bloggers. Focusing on stories that resonate beyond national and regional borders, Beyond Hall 8 seeks to build wider avenues of communication, community, and occasional ranting. Our regular and guest contributors from around the world are industry experts with a passion for books and the business of publishing. We welcome your feedback and opinions.

This blog is sponsored by the Frankfurt Book Fair. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog are the views of the authors (contributors) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Ed Nawotka is a widely published book critic and authority on the publishing industry. A long time editor and writer for Publishers Weekly, he is a columnist at Bloomberg News and contributes to numerous national magazines and newspapers. You can find an archive of his work at http://www.edwardn.com/.

Roger Tagholm is the former Deputy Editor of UK trade weekly Publishing News. He has been writing about the industry for 20 years and is the author of two books, Walking Literary London (New Holland) and Poems NOT on the Underground (Windrush Press). He is now a freelance writer, journalist and photographer, contributing to a wide variety of publications and websites, including the UK Bookseller magazine.

Andrew Wilkins is director of Australian independent publishing house Wilkins Farago. Until May 2008 he was publisher of Australia's book industry magazine, Bookseller+Publisher, and has been a regular visitor to the Frankfurt Book Fair, and other book fairs, over the past decade. During his 20 years in the book trade, he has been a bookseller, publisher, editor, sales and marketing manager, typesetter, rights manager, author and publicist. In February 2008, he chaired the inaugural Professional Publishing in Asia conference in New Delhi, India. He travels regularly throughout the Asia-Pacific region.